White house IP Czar Victoria Espinel spoke at BIO’s 2011 International Convention in a session titled Counterfeiting: How corporations and government can work together. She told the audience that when entering her new assignment she was surprised to find out that counterfeiting was a large problem in the United States and not just abroad. The Administration has increased enforcement in counterfeit medicines as seizures of health related counterfeits have gone up 97% from last year. Read More >

Coalition Urges Enactment of Patent Reform Legislation to Drive Job Growth and Innovation (March 24, 2011) BIO joined with 97 other manufacturers, scientists, researchers, academic institutions, and businesses to urge the U.S. House of Representatives to enact patent reform into law in order to strengthen our country’s patent system which will help get breakthrough products to market faster, maximizing our opportunities for job growth. Read the letter (120 KB PDF)

The Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator released an Inter-Agency report partnering with the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Departments of Justice, State, and Commerce and USAID. The report highlights the Administration’s efforts to combat counterfeit pharmaceuticals listing various Department initiatives and in some cases providing actual budget numbers (State Department budgets $1.3 million in 2011 to combat counterfeit pharmaceuticals). Finally, the report Read More >